There are artists that make noise, and then there’s Kneecap — a group whose very existence feels like an act of resistance. Last night in Dublin, as they tore through a set that blurred rebellion and revelry, it was obvious: this is more than just music. Over the past year, Kneecap have become lightning rods in Irish culture — not just for their blistering Gaeilge-laced hip-hop, but for the battles they’ve waged offstage.
Their support for Palestine has been unwavering and unapologetic. Their biopic was met with acclaim. They won a high-profile discrimination case against the leader of the Conservative party. And now, they’re facing the latest in a long line of politically loaded challenges — terror charges in a Westminster court, stemming from a gig in London last year. Many see it as a deliberate attempt to criminalise dissent and shift attention from what Kneecap have been shouting about all along: the ongoing devastation in Gaza.
A day after a trip to court, Kneecap returned to Dublin to remind everyone who they really are — artists who, despite the headlines, haven’t missed a beat.
There was a charge in the air long before Kneecap took the stage in Dublin last night. Eight thousand people packed into Fairview Park, and even the support act felt like part of the riot. Gurriers strolled onstage to Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes off You with all the confidence of a band headlining the biggest show of their lives. Exploding into stompers like Nausea & Des Goblin, Dublin were made fully aware that this wasn’t a night at the opera, and it didn’t take long for frontman Dan Hoff to have the crowd in grip. “Are You Ready To Dance?” he exclaimed before tearing into fan favourite Sign Of The Times complete with a mosh pit cameo from bassist Charlie McCarthy. With festival dates all across the summer, including Glastonbury next week, the Dublin outfit are staking their claim as one of the most exciting bands on the circuit right now, and a headline return feels inevitable.
Then came Kneecap. Bursting out to the trad-heavy pulse of 3CAG and straight into It’s Been Ages, they hit the ground running. There was a confidence from the off, but also a tension — like they were holding something back. That didn’t last long. Your Sniffer Dogs Are Shite cracked the place open. Suddenly the crowd was fully locked in, limbs flying, drinks airborne. Bedlam, in the best possible way.
From there, the pace didn’t let up. The show was relentless — only broken by the comedic moments of dialogue from the trio, as Mo Chara shouts gleefully to the crowd, “I’m a free man!”
There’s truly not a dull moment in their set. Unreleased track The Recap has plenty of lyrics to wink at Kemi Badenoch, and its drum and bass style chorus comes alive when played on stage. The crowd eat every moment of it up, with thousands of people screaming lyrics of rhino-strength ketamine and colonial policing powers like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Elsewhere, C.E.A.R.T.A had hundreds of mates jumping onto each other’s shoulders, DJ Provai joined in the moshpit of H.O.O.D that can only be described as ballistic and the crowd was bouncing long after the boys had left the stage, with a remixed Come Out Ye Black & Tans getting one of the biggest singalongs of the night.
Of course, none of this was happening in a vacuum. Mo Chara appeared in a London court earlier this week on terror charges, stemming from a gig where he waved a Hezbollah flag during a pro-Palestine segment. The case is clearly political — an attempt to clamp down on dissent under the guise of national security. It was there in the passion and delivery.
Kneecap has had a hell of a year — a critically acclaimed film, court battles, international headlines — and this felt like a full-blown victory lap. But not a comfortable one. Nothing about their set is clean or easy or settled. It’s angry, funny, unfiltered and completely alive. Right now, there isn’t another live act on this island doing what Kneecap are doing. Last night proved why — and just how high the stakes are.
Words by Cian McGivern